Comic book adaptations (outside of the recent Marvel films) are usually more of a miss than a hit. Even when they pull in the big numbers, it’s generally by fans hoping the studio doesn’t mess things up back to back (the Transformers franchise). Deadpool 2 is directed by David Leitch (John Wick and Atomic Blonde) and was written by Simon Kinberg, Ryan Reynolds, and Lauren Shuler Donner. It’s an absolute treat to watch, especially if the first Deadpool was something you enjoyed. I honestly went into this movie with very low expectations. Sequels have a nasty habit of being worse than the first, but in this case, I felt it was slightly better than Deadpool.
Obviously, some of these entries will come off as minor nitpicking, but when discussing a film like Deadpool 2 and its spoof concept, it’s worth holding every aspect of the film up to the light — because this is how Deadpool would want it.
Can you honestly see Deadpool giving his own movie a good review with a list of twentysomethings “best of?” And to set the record straight, this is Deadpool’s movie. As in he wrote it himself, just like the first film. Hence, the constant fourth wall breaking which sets this franchise apart from every other comic book superhero film ever made. Harkening back to the days of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the entire movie is told through Deadpool’s perspective. This is not a superhero movie to be taken seriously. If one does, you're missing the entire point of Deadpool 2.
Spoilers Ahead! You have been fairly warned.
And in case you skipped the entire introduction, the movie is still all about having fun and good deviant laugh at the true Merc with a Mouth in Deadpool-style. There is a lot to micro-analysize, but fans will will still enjoy this Deadpool outting.
24 Get Ready For A CGI Fight
Having Juggernaut be the trope monster kept in the basement of the Ice Box was a brilliant idea. The last time audiences witnessed Juggernaut on the big screen was during X-Men: The Last Stand in which his character was ruined by Brett Ratner. Deadpool 2 did an amazing job of reviving his character and bringing him to life in a way which was realistic and satisfying for comic book fans. Juggernaut pairs himself up with Russel, as they set out to extract revenge on the Headmaster (Eddie Marsan) who got off on torturing mutants.
Deadpool needs to stop Russel from taking the Headmaster out, as to change the future in which he eliminates Cable’s wife and daughter. Colossus, along with Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio, show up late to help Deadpool and crew out which leads to a battle between the Steele Russian and Juggernaut. Suddenly, Wade breaks the fourth wall and says, “get ready for a CGI fight.” This joke totally ripped me out of the scene and had me looking for imperfections within the CGI of both characters. The fight between them was awesome, but I feel it lost a majority of its impact due to Deadpool’s comment. This was one of the only times I wish the Merc with a Mouth had stayed quiet.
23 Too Many MCU Jabs
Deadpool loves to rip on various comic book franchises, especially the MCU and DCEU. Deadpool 2 took this a tad to far in my opinion, simply because Josh Brolin (who played Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War) was playing the role of Cable. From my early count (I’ve only seen the movie once so far) there were four specific jokes taking aim at the MCU. Some hit, while others missed. The ones that hit for me were the ones aimed at Hawkeye, especially since he was left out of Infinity War and the Pina Colada song jab aimed at Guardians of the Galaxy. These were well placed within the script and felt balanced with the overall story.
The ones which missed included the “Zip it Thanos” line directed at Cable and the reference to Avengers: Age of Ultron when Wade starts singing “the sun’s getting low big guy.” These two jokes not only took me out of the scene taking place but also fell flat due to them not being funny. The Hulk bit has been played to the extreme (thanks to the MCU) and the Thanos line wasn’t as good as the Goonies reference which took a shot at Brolin’s acting gigs during his younger days.
22 Saying Goodbye To Vanessa
Before the haters start getting their underpants in a wad, I fully understand why the script was written the way it was and agree with it. It’s not her passing that I have an issue with, but more of how she went on to the afterlife. Wade had time to turn around and run towards Vanessa after the shot was fired but didn’t have time to step in front of the bullet. I’m calling lazy writing on this one. Maybe if it was a bunch of goons all firing automatic weapons but one guy with a pistol, please.
Everyone in the theater I was in had the same idea too, so it’s not just me. At least a dozen people, mostly women, ironically, all shouted: “step in front of the bullet, what are you doing chasing it!”
Vanessa needed to go, I get that. It moved the storyline in a new direction instead of playing off the hits of the past. It’s a smart move and I applaud the writers for taking the creative risk. I just wish they had made her ending a tad more realistic instead of rushing it like they did. The moments experienced with her and Wade in the afterlife more than made up for this sloppy mistake, but I still feel Deadpool needs to be called out on this one.
21 On The Nose Meta Jokes
Deadpool 2 brought the jokes with a fierceness we haven’t experienced since Mel Brooks’ time. While most of the jokes hit the spot, there were a few instances when Wade breaks the fourth wall and it sucks you right out of the sequence of events taking place. This was especially true right before the fight scene in the third act. In an effort to make fun of the trope comic book superhero entrance scene, the joke fell flat, removing any tension created by the story unfolding.
The writers could have still nailed the trope joke if they had simply removed the fourth wall breaking done by Deadpool.
There were other jokes dropped throughout Deadpool 2 which felt too on the nose (past the Barbara Streisand humor). The film included dozens of various Easter Eggs which Wade felt the need to elaborate on and explain where they came from for some reason. What’s the point of an Easter Egg if you’ve got to include several additional lines just to catch the audience up on the joke? Grant it, this only happened a handful of times. A majority of the meta jokes were spot on, taking the feel of the comic book Deadpool and bringing it to life on the big screen.
20 Strange Actions By Colossus
Wade has a way of messing with Colossus, unlike any other superhero. His antics are hilarious and by this point, you’d think Colossus would be expecting them. For the most part, the relationship between Deadpool and the giant Steele Russian were on point, but there is one scene which made absolutely zero sense. Especially when audiences take a step back and think about Colossus’ character.
Wilson is confronting Russel at the beginning of Deadpool 2 as an X-Men in training (Colossus’ idea). Upon finding out the kid was being abused by the headmaster of the school and his goons, Deadpool does what he normally would do — he attempts to rectify the problem through violence and humor. Colossus freaks out and places Wade under arrest with Russel. This involves putting a choke collar on him which prevents his mutant abilities from working.
The problem with this scenario is that Colossus is aware that sending Deadpool to the Ice Box will likely mean an end to his life. Without being able to tap his mutant abilities, Deadpool's cancer would continue to spread. Colossus, however, believes in justice over eliminating one’s life. Yet his actions of justice could have ended Wade’s life for good if Cable hadn’t shown up.
19 Deadpool 2 Trailer Misdirection
Disney and Marvel (MCU) have been testing the waters regarding including major misdirects in their trailers for upcoming movies. A single minor misdirect is acceptable, as I don’t want the trailers to give too much away. Too many, however, gives audiences a false expectation of the movie. Deadpool 2 tried this in a creative way by showcasing the first X-Force squad. This worked and failed at the same time.
Leading audiences to believe these new characters would be a part of the Deadpool franchise worked well when most of them get eliminated five minutes after joining the team. I liked this, and it provided the necessary shock value the writers were going for. What I didn’t like was the misdirect of excluded scenes shown in later trailers closer to the film's release. An example of this would be of Bedlam (Terry Crews) delivering a beat down during the transport scene, or of Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) in what looked like the third act battle fight. These types of misdirects are uncalled for. Stop messing with fans and stick to promoting the movie. I don’t want the film spelled out, but at the same time, showcasing scenes which were never meant to be a part of the film is taking the whole misdirect thing too far.
18 Putting Deadpool Back Together
The joke of Deadpool reviving his body parts was explored twice. Once it worked and the other time it fell flat. Where it worked was after Juggernaut ripped Wade in half and he needed to grow his legs back. This scene was hilarious, even if it was a bit too on the nose. Throwing in the Easter Egg of Wilson performing the classic Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) leg swap from Basic Instinct was mad brilliant, and slightly disturbing. Even the callback with having Al touch his growing back legs was a hit.
But where the humor failed, takes place after Deadpool blows himself into a dozen pieces. Vanessa is gone, and Wilson is in a dark place. His solution is to try and take himself out by lying on barrels of gasoline and dropping a lit cigarette into them. Colossus picks up the pieces of Wilson and brings him back to X-Mansion. The next time we see Deadpool he’s fully restored three days later.
This left many wondering how Colossus managed to heal Wade so quickly, and if he had to sew him back together like Humpty Dumpty. I wish this had been explored and fleshed out a bit more as it robbed the humor of the scene completely.
17 Skimping On The Headmaster Villain
Every comic book movie needs a generic villain and in Deadpool 2 it was the Headmaster of the school for orphaned mutants. Eddie Marsan is a tremendous actor who was robbed of showing off his skills by being fitted into this generic role. Make fun of Avengers: Infinity War all you want, but Thanos is likely one of the best villains ever to hit the big screen based off a tale originally created from the pages of an American comic book. And I say American because manga and anime are in a class unto itself.
If the writers had allowed Marsan to develop the Headmaster character a little more, there would have been more depth added to the story being told.
And this is one of the biggest criticism’s coming from critics. Yes, the movie is one giant spoof, but it balances that humor with a tale which allows the audience to become invested in. There didn’t need to be additional scenes of the Headmaster, just better writing for his character in the third act. When Dopinder takes him out with his cab, nobody in the theater seemed to care. And not because we knew it was coming, but because nobody cared about the Headmaster.
16 Milking Screen Time In The Name Of Being Dramatic
Wade Wilson is known for being a tad dramatic, but man did he go all out in Deadpool 2. From blowing himself up at the beginning of the movie to his 15-minute farewell passing in the third act, Wilson milked every opportunity he could to keep the camera on him. Not that anyone is complaining too much. But seriously Wade, learn to share just a little bit. I would say it’s not all about you, but I’d be wrong. Since Deadpool stole so much of the 2 plus hours runtime, more than a few characters might fall into his shadow. Russel (the kid) is one, but we’ll tackle that later in another entry. It’s Domino (Zazie Beetz) who got overshadowed the most.
In the comics, Domino balances out the drama which is Wade Wilson, playing off his banter in a positive way.
Deadpool 2 accomplished this great feat but still managed to leave me wanting more of Beetz’s character. If Wade hadn’t wasted so much time heading into the afterlife, audiences could have gotten at least 5 minutes of backstory on her character. But alas, I guess we’ll simply have to wait for the X-Force movie to come out.
Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) was another new character who also didn’t get the screen time she deserved next to Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) who is dating Yukio. Their relationship paired together perfectly, and I wanted to see more of it.
15 Biggest Flirt Ever
Deadpool has always been a flirt. Whether it be man, women, deceased, or alien — expect a cheesy pick-up line at some point to escape his lips. In Deadpool 2, it was Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) who received the most flirting. Almost equal in screen time to Vanessa. Not that there is anything wrong with it. I just wanted to see Wade be more of himself, rather than attached to an organic metal CGI Russian for most of the film. I must admit, though, the scene with Deadpool standing outside of the X-Mansion like John Cusack in Say Anything almost had me rolling out of my theater seat. Especially with Colossus lying on his bed pretending to ignore Wade.
Even Vanessa picked up on Wilson’s deep attachment to Colossus, telling him not to be with the Steele giant before he leaves her in the afterlife for the last time.
I love the Pan nature of Deadpool’s character and just wanted to see more of it with other characters in conjunction with Colossus.
Like with Dopinder. The scene with Wade running his hands through Dopinder’s hair while riding in the cab was priceless. The one character who Deadpool didn’t hit on which I thought he would for sure was Cable (Josh Brolin). I guess we’ll just have to wait for that relationship to blossom more in the future movies to come.
14 Rushed Time With Russel
The first Deadpool movie focused on the relationship between Wade and Vanessa, making it relatable and funny at the same time. Deadpool 2 had two characters who were the main focus, Russel (Julian Dennison) and Cable. Brolin’s role as Nathan Summers (Cable) was spot on. He got the right amount of screen time, even if his backstory was cut a tad short. As a comic book fan, I did want to see more of Cable but understood why most of his story was left out. The balance would have been off, detracting from where it should have been — on Russel.
Yet, Russel, I feel got shortchanged. And not in a good way. The movie was essentially about him, yet when he was on screen, Wade stole the limelight every time. Critics have been quick to point their finger at Dennison for being weak, but I disagree. It was more about the writing and how they were shot together in scenes. I get that Russel was overwhelmed with emotions through a majority of Deadpool 2, but a little glimpse into his backstory wouldn’t have ruined the movie. Having another plus-sized character/hero (Ned in Spider-Man: Homecoming) on the big screen was a delight for me, especially since I’ve been a plus sized guy all my life. I just wish audiences were given the chance to get to know his character better.
13 Messing Up Fantasy Movie Timelines
How is it that Wade Wilson can remember every line from John Cusack films in addition to Yentl, but can’t remember how events played out in the Star Wars original trilogy? It’s blasphemy, I say. Not only did he get the plot for A New Hope completely wrong, but he added scenes to Empire Strikes Back that never existed. Albeit, it would have been extra special to see Empire played out how Deadpool recounted it.
Ryan Reynolds stated in an interview with EW that Disney and Fox cut one of his jokes. “This is a sore spot for me because there’s a joke in the movie that is not in the movie now because — I’m probably not even allowed to say this — Fox made me take it out,” says Ryan. “It had more to do with Disney, and they made me take it out. As I look back at it, I think maybe that was a wise decision.” The joke which was taken out refers to the transaction of Disney’s deal to acquire 21st Century Fox assets, which still hasn’t officially gone through until the government approves it.
Instead, Reynolds took multiple jabs at Avengers: Infinity War, along with a host of other MCU films, the DCEU, and even Frozen. I Can’t believe Disney allowed that one slip in there
12 Should’ve Popped A Snap With T.J. Miller
Weasel (T.J. Miller) fit nicely into the first Deadpool. His off-patterned dialog and deviant one-liners bounced off Deadpool’s introduction and how he came to be. The Weasel in Deadpool 2, however, was a shell of his former self. Every joke he told fell flat and felt like a copy of the same jokes told before. T. J. Miller wasn’t into the character at all, which might have a lot to do with what’s going on in his life. From being charged with calling a fake bomb threat to his alleged sexual abuse, watching him on screen was like seeing Kevin Spacey in Baby Driver (cringe-worthy).
On April 9, 2018 Miller was arrested at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York and charged in a federal criminal complaint “with intentionally conveying to law enforcement false information about an explosive device on a train traveling to Connecticut,” as stated in a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. In 2017, he was accused of attacking a young woman while in college.
In the post-credit scene, Deadpool is seen using Cable’s time traveling device to right some wrongs of the past, which include taking out his former self from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and when Ryan Reynolds landed the Green Lantern gig. While he was at it, Deadpool should have addressed Weasel too. It would’ve made audiences feel better about seeing his cringy mug on the big screen for a majority of the film.
11 Oy Vey, Enough Yentl Already
Yentl, for those of you too young to know, is a musical (1983) starring Barbra Streisand. It was based on the play by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer, which itself is based on Singer's short story Yentl the Yeshiva Boy.
Is this a Bar-Mitzvah flick with Neil Diamond and Adam Sandler, or a Deadpool movie? Leave the Jewish comedy to Mel Brooks.
And for the record, I’m Jewish, so I have a pass when it comes to this stuff. Grow up hearing Barbra Streisand blaring out of your parent’s car speakers all the time would drive anyone up a wall.
Watching Yentl with Vanessa as a means for turning up the heat in their romance was a funny bit. But four times referencing the musical with, “Papa can you hear me,” is three too many. It’s like the only Jewish humor Reynolds, I mean Deadpool, knows is from watching Barbra Streisand. Make a phone call to Mel Brooks and get caught up on your Hebrew humor Deadpool. The Streisand ship sailed long ago, and the repetitive callbacks to the musical were too on the nose (pun intended). Next time give us a Druish Princess (Spaceballs) or at least Yiddish-speaking Indians (Blazing Saddles).
10 Shafting Peter
Of all the new X-Force characters we thought we’d be getting, Peter (Rob Delaney) was the one I was most hyped about. His mustache is simply impeccable, like a callback to the Tom Selleck (Magnum, P.I. and Blue Bloods) and Burt Reynolds (Cannonball Run) days. Much like Dopinder’s role (Karan Soni), Peter would have been a nice addition throughout Deadpool 2.
Peter is first introduced through the LinkedIn job boards call out created by Deadpool and Weasel. He shows up to the interview declaring he has no powers, merely enticed by the ad. Deadpool signs him up with his newly created X-Force and they head off to save Russel (Hot Hands the kid). Peter heads into the mission scared but nails the skydiving part despite the high wind advisory. The next thing audiences see is him being eliminated under the most awful circumstances.
It was a sad end to Peter and his mustache. Thankfully, Deadpool takes a leap back in time during the post-credit and brings his mysterious character back to life. Only to send him on his merry way, likely to never be seen again. Miss you already Peter. Feel free to come back for the X-Force film or Deadpool 3. I’ll be waiting.
9 Deadpool 2 Cable Vs. Cable In The Comics
A live-action movie will never be like an animated one or a comic book. There are things you can do with animation that just aren’t possible when transferring those concepts into a live-action film. I get that. When it comes to character development, however, this isn’t the case. Cable is adored by comic book fans, almost equally to Deadpool. The only beef I have with his character in Deadpool 2 is it took too long for us to see the Cable from the comics. His fight scenes were slightly watered down (likely to avoid too much CGI) which is fine. But his relationship with Deadpool and his over-the-top military attitude wasn’t explored soon enough.
This could be because Fox wants to make a cash-grab with films to come, and I get that to a certain degree. I simply wished the banter between Wade and Cable was explored more, like how they interact in the 50-issue series Deadpool and Cable. To me, this was one relationship which didn’t get explored enough, and it’s not because Wilson was spouting off too many jokes. This issue stems from a lack of research and knowledge of the Cable's character. Hopefully, in X-Force, this problem will be rectified.
8 Combining Franchises
Part of me felt like 21st Century Fox was attempting to combine Deadpool with the rest of the X-Men franchise. This, in my opinion, would be a grave mistake. The impression stems from the jokes told while at the X-Mansion. It was neat to see the Easter Egg drop of the current X-Men having a meeting and Beast closing the door on Wade’s antics in the hallway. As was the callback to clips of the original Wolverine when Deadpool travels back in time to “clean up the timeline.” I’m not complaining about either of these scenarios.
But I’ve been in this business long enough to realize when a corporate giant like Fox is testing the waters regarding combining these two franchises into one. If this was to happen, it would be a giant fail. Deadpool is solely meant to be his own franchise. Characters from other franchises can come and go, but to include Wilson into another wouldn’t work at all.
Guardians of the Galaxy was able to pull off combining stories in Infinity War, only because they’ve been written into the MCU franchise since day one. This isn’t the case with Deadpool simply because of his meta-humor in breaking the fourth wall.
7 Family Film Theme
The first Deadpool film focused on the relationship between Wade Wilson and Vanessa. It was a driving arc which allowed audiences to get sucked into the story and humor at the same time. The theme of Deadpool 2 was family. And I don’t have a problem with this, as I felt it was executed well. My beef is with how the theme was repeated by Deadpool throughout the movie as if audiences needed to be hit over the head with it. One mentioning of it would have been fine, maybe even two or three. But a dozen is way too much.
Writers of movies sometimes think that audiences are dumb, needing everything spelled out for them. Personally, I’m a little over having a concept shoved down my throat. I understood the theme well into the first act and didn’t need it repeated. I honestly lost count as to how many times Wade says, “the F-word.” And I’m not talking about the cussing, as he was referring to family. This unnecessary dialog takes away from other moments when perhaps additional backstory or dialog would have improved the movie. Like getting more Domino or having additional interaction between Cable and Deadpool.
6 More Bieber And Yukio Needed
With Deadpool 2 running two-plus hours long, it was probably difficult to include additional scenes which fans might have wanted to see more of. Of course, if they had removed five minutes of Wade passing on dramatically, then a few more of these scenes could have been added in. One of the best new interactions in Deadpool 2 was between Negasonic Teenage Warhead and her girlfriend Yukio. The two played off one another nicely, and I dare say, would want to see a spin-off film featuring more of them.
Yukio worked well with Wade’s style of humor too, as the bit between the two with them saying hi and bye throughout the movie was cute.
Sadly, we only got to see Yukio in fight mode for a few seconds. They were a great 20 seconds, but man did I want more after seeing her get in the classic action hero stance and taking out her whip. I want to see her go up against a villain with Negasonic Teenage Warhead by her side. Hopefully, the writers will pay attention to fans reactions regarding Deadpool 2, including more Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio in the future, along with Domino too.
5 Opening Title Sequence Text
Deadpool is known for being super creative with their opening title sequence, and in Deadpool 2 they almost made it better than the first film. The whole James Bond sequence was priceless and should be enjoyed repeatedly. What I found disappointing, though, was the credit text. It felt like they put so much effort into the James Bond theme that they forgot to extend any effort towards the text, which is supposed to support the theme.
The text included sayings like, “They just killed her?” Followed by the classic “what the [BLANK] cuss word,” and “I don't understand.” Ironically, this is what most in the theater were thinking at the time. Then things begin to go downhill as the jokes are repeated from the first movie with a line like “the writers are the real villains.” Whereas in the first Deadpool they were “the real heroes.” The last lines of text credit the cinematography to Blind Al and the direction of the film to, “the guy who killed the dog in John Wick.”
None of these lines are horrible, but I was hoping for more of them, along with a bit more creativity. As it stands, the first Deadpool still has the better opening sequence of the two movies.